Fallen Angel
I read recently in the Avatar blog that one of the things that "it is a sign of great storytelling when even the minor characters are shown as fully realized with comprehensible motives of their own". This episode fills that description nicely- we really don't see much of Mao, Vicious, or Annie, the old…

Well said, Joe- the theme of the past is definitely a powerful one in this series, and your observations are astute, though I feel compelled to nitpick with a few of your points.
First, while Spike treats the capsule as a trinket at first, I think he did figure it out in the end, otherwise why slip it into Twinkle's…

Off and running
To me, the third or fourth episode of a series is critical. By this point, you've had enough time to get a decent introduction to the main characters, their relationships, and the world they live in. If you can't get the audience connected to the show by this point, odds are you never will. Gateway…

Twinkle would also make a good Batman villain- her persona is a mix of Poison Ivy and a touch of Ras al Ghul, and her henchmen's masks are classic Batman.

Yeah, just because Larry the Cable Guy is the Stand-up equivalent of a one-hit wonder is no reason to hate on him (seem also Dane Cook and Jeff Dunham).

A little perspective, please
Is this the end of a long winning streak? Yes.
Does this diminish the earlier films? No.
Does this mean that Pixar will never make a good movie again? No.
Deep breath, people.

I just don't understand what a South American cowboy has to do with gypsies…

Agreed- I think all of the characters do change though, because all of them, sooner or later, are forced to confront their pasts. Faye's arc is arguably the most profound, however.

Translation issues
I remember that Simon said he was watching the subtitles, so it's interesting that two of the lines he cites here come across very differently in the dub- instead of "Such pretty eyes" we get "I like your shades, man" and instead of "you wench" Spike says "hello, Romany". Puts rather a different…

They never explain the "data dog" concept- so what? This whole show is full of missed opportunities. I'd be kind of disappointed if they did tell us what he is, exactly.

A few observations
First, a nitpicky detail- how does Ein survive the fall onto Spike's ship (Swordfish)?
Second- it's a bit much to say (if I understand the point correctly) that the episode sees women as the downfall of man- Spike might blame women, but the men in the show are perfectly capable of getting themselves…

Escaflowne has some potential too, I think, but I'm a sucker for sword-and-sorcery stuff. And Bebop definitely has the earwormiest theme song, and in my opinion the best soundtrack of any T.V show (it's the only one I actually went out and purchased, anyway).

I would agree with the above reasons, but as I and some of the other commenters have mentioned, it also possesses some of the qualities that drew us to shows like Firefly- not just the cool trimmings (which it definitely has), but also solid characters, good writing, and an overarching storyline that intersects with…

My favorite anime
I love this show- it was the first anime series that I watched from beginning to end, all on the Adult Swim lineup. Asteroid Blues does a good job of setting up the series, and I look forward to revisiting the rest of the show. One point of disagreement with today's review, though- while Spike is…

The Inner Light
Best. Episode. Ever.

"Maybe there is no moral, Mom."
"Exactly! It's just a bunch of stuff that happened."

O.K, I'll come right out and say it…
…Lal just looks a little too much like Vici from "Small Wonder" for me.

"…he almost certainly would have executed the film more compellingly than Joel Schumacher." Unles you're Michael Bay, that's not hard.

So what exactly…
…does "beige exasperation" smell like, anyhow? This is a question that will keep me up at night.

Yeah, I think these movies are actually a vast conspiracy to sell Rifftrax. It's the only way to make the watchable. Hats off to Noel for being brave/crazy enough to watch BOTH. In sequence, no less.